02.09.25, Depth Width Length Height of Love, Luke 7:1-17
Pre/Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close,
Rick lights Christ candle/Billy softly plays first song
Songs Cornerstone 6158927 Billy/Linda
Once Again 1564362
Passage/Prayer Luke 7:1-17 Musgrove
Song How Deep The Father’s Love 1558110 Billy/Linda
Message Depth Width Length Height of Love Rick
Song Once Again 1564362 (abb) Billy/Linda
Community/Closing Peace Rick
Closing Music Faith 5469291 Billy/Linda
- Record message on memory card –
- Leave space above Speaker’s head
Music (Slides) Billy/Linda
Cornerstone 6158927
Verse 1
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name
(repeat)
Chorus
Christ alone cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Saviour’s love
Through the storm He is Lord
Lord of all
Verse 2
When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil
Interlude
He is Lord Lord of all
Verse 3
When He shall come with trumpet sound
Oh may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless stand before the throne
Chorus
Christ alone cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Saviour’s love
Through the storm He is Lord
Lord of all
Once Again 1564362
Verse 1
Jesus Christ
I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing
Poured out to death
Many times I’ve wondered
At Your gift of life
And I’m in that place once again
I’m in that place once again
Chorus
Once again
I look upon the cross
Where You died
I’m humbled by Your mercy
And I’m broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
Verse 2
Now You are
Exalted to the highest place
King of the heavens
Where one day I’ll bow
But for now
I marvel at this saving grace
And I’m full of praise once again
I’m full of praise once again
Chorus (x2)
Once again
I look upon the cross
Where You died
I’m humbled by Your mercy
And I’m broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
Passage (Slides) Luke 7:1-15 Musgroves
A centurion heard that Jesus was in Capernaum. His beloved ill slave was close to death so he sent some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his slave.
The elders went to Jesus and earnestly appealed to him saying, “The centurion is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.”
When Jesus was not far from the house, the centurion sent word to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you.”
“Only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers and slaves under me.”
Jesus was amazed at the words, and said, “Not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When the centurion/s messengers returned home, they found the slave in good health.
Jesus then went to a town called Nain, as he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. The man was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow. A large crowd accompanied the woman.
Jesus was moved with compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.” He said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Join me in the prayer of Jesus,
Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be your name./Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven./ Give us this day our daily bread./ Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us./And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil./For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Music (Slides) Billy/Linda
How Deep The Father’s Love For Us 1558110
Verse 1
How deep the Father’s love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory
Verse 2
Behold the Man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
Verse 3
I will not boast in anything
No gifts no pow’r no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
Message Rick [Screen Share until close]
[Message Title Slide – Screen share entire message until prayer]
I received 6 challenge responses this week. Among them were personal thoughts about the main point of the passage, speculation about the after impacts of the event of the two stories, some questions, and an obvious investment in consideration of the passage. All of which were not only encouraging to me but also, helpful in the sermon process. I’ve decided to not share the contributions with you this week, but I believe that I will address, or attempt to address, these contributions. I also believe that some of my thoughts may not end up being your final answers, or THE final answers. For, this, and most passages, hold not only the obvious but often they hold a specific answer directed only at you and possibly your situation. So, don’t stop considering this passage even as you move on to the passage for next Suday. Great job and again, thanks!
[Slide] Elephant in the Room – Slavery
We do not like to envision the presence of slaves in scripture or in history. It is unseemly and counter to our fantasy thinking of the primary characters in the Bible. We minimize the horror of slavery by redefining them as servants, or possibly even ‘employees’ – none of them, in a general manner, are treated like humans which is probably the easiest way to state the boundaries of slavery. That, probably, greatly expands the numbers of those who were, as well as those who are, slaves in this world.
We don’t want to hear that our founding fathers had slave, we stick our heads into the sand at the thought that our biblical heroes having slaves, and we hide our own acts of slavery in our family trees.
Slavery existed and slaves still exist. They may not be titled that. They may be transported on the highways and roads that run through our nation, state, and even our cities and towns.
In the time of Jesus there were slaves in Isreal and in Rome, and around the globe. It was an accepted practice but, even then, an unholy accepted practice does not make it acceptable. Israel did recognize the institution of slavery. They had 2 sets of laws, one for slaves that were Jews, and the other for ‘aliens’, non-Jews, Gentiles, slaves.
Jewish slaves did have protections against abuse, they were also seldom life time slaves. Sometimes slaves chose to be slaves, escpecially if it advanced their state of existence and their masters were kind, or at least tolerable. The ‘Alien’ slaves, gentiles enslaved by the Jews, were usually slaves to the goverment, and could be life long slaves. They, too, had protections to guard against brutal abuse.
Still, there was slavery in the Bible, and everyone was guilty of it even if it was acceptable. Years ago my son Isaiah came across the obituary and will of one our very distant ancestors. He was a slave holder – one slave. In his will he gave the slave the freedom to chose their next master as long as that new master paid a suitable price. Then, one generation later, his son, was a slave runner, until he ‘found Jesus’, released his slaves, and, became a preacher. I like to think that there can be some progress found in that evolution of the family name. However, the truth is, there were slaves and there are still slaves, and there are those who are treated so inhumanly that they are invisible slaves.
[Slide] The Stories, or, Story
Our passage today gives us 2 stories, which, depending on the way you perceive them, are actually just 1 story. Luke, the writer of the gospel of Luke, uses this method of dual story placement often. Strategically putting events in the life of Jesus with other stories to let us catch that what we think is the main point, is not really the message of either of the stories – or it is not the only, or even most important lesson of the passage.
Think of the story of Jesus heading to the house of the religious leader named Jairus whose daughter was dying. Yet, intertwined in the story, is the story of the woman with a decades long issue of blood, who had pushed through the crowd to toubh Jesus’ cloak, immediately healing her. This healing, while Jesus was heading to another healing, stopped Jesus in his tracks to engage briefly with the woman.
Both of uur stories today stories have key characters/character groups.
[Slide for each of the following points]
- A Dying Slave – A treasured dying slave of a Roman oppressor
- A Dead Son – An only son who was now dead.
- Jewish Leaders – Who recognized the worth of the Centurion by what he had done for them, the Jews. Also worth noting is their act of going to Jesus, who may/may not been considered enemy by this.
- Funeral Crowd – A large crowd that were part of the funeral procession of the young man who had died. They were either doing this due to their own grieving for the young man, or to support his grieving mother, or they automatically did this as a Jewish practice and an expected act of hospitality.
- Centurion – A Roman Centurion, which meant he was over at least 100 solders and, that his primary job was to assure the Roman military leadership that he was oppressing the Jews so that they would not rebel and become a problem to the Romans (in his case his 100 soldiers controlled 1,000 people). His act of building the synagogue for the people had been a key reason the Jewish leaders saw him a ‘loving the Jesus.” This may have been an act on his part because of his love or it may have been to keep them calm. Either way, his job was to subjigate the people.
- Mother – A now widowed woman who had no sons and was about to be devastatingly poor. No male heir meant she would not inherit even her home.
(continue to next page for final character)
- Jesus – Jesus, in both of these stories, heals the people. He acts out the love of God regardless of the acts, worth, or agendas of these who experienced this miracle. Love pushed Jesus past the human barriers to bring healing.
- [Slide] Jesus headed to the home of the Centurion, a gentile, considered unclean, going into this ‘unclean’ person’s house which would have made Jesus seen as unclean. (probably before Syrophoenician, gentile woman engagement)
- Jesus, uninvited but at the funeral of the young man, Jesus touched the cart that carried the dead body – also an act that would, and did, cause him to be seen as unclean.
- Jesus revealed that God’s Love Has No Bounds, Conditions, Limits, or Bias/Predjudice
I am still confounded by the presence of a Roman Centurion in this story. His main job was to subdue and control the Isrealites, which he did, otherwise he would have not remained in his position. Regardless of if his motivations were sincere and loving, still he led an army of 100 soldiers to control and oppress an entire city of Jews.
[Slide] In 1947, after the end of WWI, former Nazi Major Karl Plagge, stood trial for his role in the occupation of Vilnius, Lithuania, where 100,000 Lithuanian Jews were murdered. Surprisingly, at the trial, Jewish survivors traveled to testify in Plagge’s defense—just as Jewish elders once advocated for the centurion. Plagge had disagreed with the anti-semitism of the Nazis but still served to advance the cause conquering Europe and beyone – also, much like the centurion. The Jewish witnesses that spoke up for Plagge, much like the Jewish elders speaking up for the Centurion, spoke of the 1,000 Jews saved by Plagge during the war.
(continue to next page for story continuation)
Even though Plagge served on the side of the Nazis in the war, these Jewish survivors noticed that he also, subtly, risked his own life by finding ways to save as many Jews as was possible. At the trial, Plagge was classified as a ‘follower’ who had served as ordered by the Nazis but had also acted out of his own conscience and worked to save lives of the Jews. He was found guilty of being a ‘follower’ but his sentence was light thanks to the Jews who noticed his actions of love. Like the Centurion, his story was complicated.
[Slide] In the end, today’s passage is not about the centurion, it is about Jesus and the love of God. A love that the Jews saw lived out in the life of the Centurion – regardless of the details. Even though he was a Roman oppressor, God still did a work of love through him. A love that was deep, wide, long, and high. A love that is not stopped at barriers, predjusices, or labels. A love that easily moves beyond the limits placed on it.
[Slide] So, we continue to act like Jesus. We take Jesus’ love to the Centurion’s house, even though our religion may say we cannot do that. We continue to join the funeral procession to grieve with the dismissed and unvalued, even though our world says they are not worthy of love. We continue to not allow hatred to dictate God’s love in us. And we never, never, fail to recognize the miracle of God’s love for us as seen on the cross.
[Slide] Our challenge is not only to love all others but also in all circumstances. To look for God’s love coming through unexpected places in all circumstances. We are not necessarily challenged to expect it, but to look. Trust God in your looking even if we never see it.
[Slide] Looking for love in the worst may be what opens our eyes to seeing God’s love in the best.
Prayer
God, may we see your love, be your love, and look constantly for your love. May we never forget that we are loved by you, that we have been rescued and redeemed by you. May we remember that we are called to be that love in the imperfect and to the unloveable. Above all else, may we always live cognizant of our calling to love you and all others. Amen.
Music Slides Billy/Linda
Once Again 1564362
Verse 1
Jesus Christ
I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing
Poured out to death
Many times I’ve wondered
At Your gift of life
And I’m in that place once again
I’m in that place once again
Chorus
Once again
I look upon the cross
Where You died
I’m humbled by Your mercy
And I’m broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
Community (Slides) Rick
- 02.16.25, Just Checking, Luke 7:18-35
- Weekly Bible Challenge
- Weekly Prayer Challenge
Closing Peace (Slides) Rick (Slides)
Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.
Response: And also with you.
Closing Music Billy/Linda
By Faith 5469291
Verse 1
By faith we see the hand of God
In the light of creation’s grand design
In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness
Who walk by faith and not by sight
Verse 2
By faith our fathers roamed the earth
With the pow’r of His promise in their hearts
Of a holy city built by God’s own hand
A place where peace and justice reign
Chorus
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight
Order, Words, & Voices 